Tommy’s laughter was tinged with bitterness. “Yeah, right. I’m sure you’ll invite me over to spend the holidays this year.”
“You’ll always be welcome here,” Katie insisted, then gave him a warning look. “As long as you don’t do anything to hurt your brother or our son.”
For an instant he seemed taken aback by her directness. “Oh, so you’ve claimed Robby,” he said after a lengthy pause. “I wonder what Betty Sue would have to say about that.”
“I’m Robby’s stepmother,” Katie corrected. “I’d never try to take Betty Sue’s place.”
“Saint Katie,” he said derisively. “Maybe you and old Luke are a match made in heaven after all.”
Ignoring his sarcasm, Katie said, “I’m sure the court will see it exactly that way.” Suddenly tired of the game, she looked Tommy straight in the eye. “Why are you doing this? What’s the point? You’re only going to hurt Robby.”
“He’s my boy,” Tommy said in much the same possessive way he might stake a claim to a car or, in years past, to a bicycle or a toy.
“From what I hear you didn’t care much about that fact six years ago.”
“Don’t believe everything you hear.”
“Are you saying you didn’t run off and abandon Betty Sue when you found out she was pregnant?” Katie asked.
“Oh, I left,” Tommy conceded. “But I thought better of it and came back. By then, though, old Saint Luke had taken off with my woman. He didn’t leave no forwarding address. Guess he was afraid if I showed up, she’d leave him for a real man.”
Katie didn’t believe for an instant the scenario of betrayal Tommy was painting. How dare he cast Luke as the bad guy, she thought, when he’d been left behind to deal with another of Tommy’s debacles.
“Luke Cassidy is more of a man than you’ll ever be,” she snapped, losing her fragile grip on her patience exactly as she had sworn to herself she wouldn’t.
Tommy shook his head, his expression filled with pity. “What kind of real man would take another man’s leavings?”
Stunned by the crude remark, Katie simply stared, then said softly, “I wonder how the judge will react when he hears how highly you think of this son you claim to love?”
Gesturing toward the street with the hose and not one bit concerned that she had splattered Tommy in the process, she glared at him. “I think you’d better get out of here, after all.”
Tommy didn’t budge. “I came to see my boy and I’m not going anywhere until I do.”
“He’s not here,” she said, thanking God that Mrs. Jeffers hadn’t brought Robby home from the park yet. “If you want to see him, you’ll have to call Luke and make arrangements with him.”
“And exactly where would I find my saintly brother? Inside? Surely he hasn’t gone off and abandoned you in the middle of the honeymoon,” he said nastily.
Exhibiting astonishing restraint, Katie refused to rise to the bait. “He has an office in the new building next door to the bank. You’ll find him there.”
Tommy appeared ready to offer some gloating observation on that, but before he could, Luke appeared around the side of the house. Taking in the situation at a glance, he strolled directly to Katie’s side. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he slipped an arm around her waist and dropped an affectionate kiss on her cheek. “Hey, darlin’, I see we have company.”
All at once Tommy didn’t seem quite so sure of himself. His cocky demeanor visibly faltered for an instant, showing a fleeting glimpse of vulnerability. Suddenly thoughtful, Katie wondered if Luke recognized it. A glance at his expression told her nothing.
It hardly mattered because the change in Tommy’s manner didn’t last. Within seconds his jaunty, arrogant facade was back in place, leaving Katie to wonder if she’d only imagined that hint of uncertainty.
“Hey, big brother, your new bride and I were just getting reacquainted.”
He managed to add a suggestive note to the comment that struck Katie as dangerous given Luke’s already taxed patience with him.
“Is that right?” Luke said.
Luke studied Katie’s face intently as if looking for some sign that there’d been trouble between her and his brother. She wasn’t about to add to the stress of the situation by declaring that Tommy Cassidy was deliberately showing signs of behaving even more despicably than she’d thought possible.
Nor did she want to discuss the startling hint of compassion she’d felt for him minutes earlier when she’d spotted that uncertainty in his eyes. His attitude and the faint evidence of an inner turmoil struck her as being very much at odds. She wasn’t certain yet which was the real Tommy. She did know that they all needed time to find out for sure.
Hoping to buy some of that time, she said mildly, “Tommy was on his way to your office to see about making arrangements to see Robby.”
Katie felt Luke’s entire body tense.
“Sorry, that’s not possible,” he said flatly, leaving no room for compromise.
Color flooded Tommy’s cheeks. “Dammit, you can’t keep me away from my boy.”
“I can and I will, unless a judge tells me I have to do otherwise,” Luke replied matter-of-factly.
Tommy’s mouth twisted and his expression turned ugly. “You’ll be sorry, Luke. When the shoe’s on the other foot and you come begging to see Robby, I’ll remember this day, and I’ll see that you regret turning me away.”
Katie decided enough was enough. Tempers were bound to escalate into a nasty scene if this went on much longer. Swallowing her own anger, she said, “Maybe you both should cool down. Why don’t we go inside and talk this over like reasonably mature adults?”
“There’s nothing to talk over,” Luke declared.
“Nothing,” Tommy agreed.
“Well, isn’t that just peachy,” Katie retorted. “Who’s going to suffer because the two of you are too pig-headed to compromise? I’ll tell you who. A little boy who doesn’t deserve any of this. Robby’s the innocent party here, and I won’t
